Agriculture: Cattle Emissions

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the results of the latest research into the use of diet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle are applied to beef and dairy cattle farming.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government are considering this and other relevant research as they develop a cost-effective policy framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture, forestry and land management sector, in response to recommendations made in the Committee on Climate Change's inaugural report.

Agriculture: Sheep

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sheep will be implanted when the compulsory electronic individual identification of sheep in the United Kingdom is fully implemented.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: All sheep identified in England on or after 31 December 2009, with the exception of those animals intended for slaughter within 12 months of age, will need to be electronically identified.

Agriculture: Sheep

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the cost per sheep, including the cost of physical implantation, implant monitoring equipment and implant removal, of the compulsory electronic individual identification of sheep in the United Kingdom once fully implemented.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Detailed information about the cost of implementation is contained in the regulatory impact assessment on electronic identification of sheep and goats. This is available on the Defra website.
	An updated version to take account of changes to the regulation that were negotiated over the summer and more detailed implementation options will accompany the consultation that is planned for the spring.

Agriculture: Sheep

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government where and how records will be kept of individual sheep movements when the compulsory electronic individual identification of sheep in the United Kingdom is fully implemented.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Individual records will be kept in the farm holding register and included in movement documents.

Agriculture: Sheep

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff will be employed in monitoring the records of sheep movements when the compulsory electronic individual identification of sheep in the United Kingdom is fully implemented.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This is a matter for local authorities, which are responsible for enforcement of the sheep identification rules.
	Statutory on-farm sheep and goat inspections will also be carried out in England by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The RPA employs in excess of 260 full-time equivalent multi-skilled inspectors, who conduct a range of farm and trader inspections under CAP and UK schemes, and at least 220 of whom are trained in sheep and goats inspections. These inspectors will have their skills enhanced to encompass electronic identification inspection requirements.

Agriculture: Sheep

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what benefits the electronic individual identification of sheep will bring compared with existing ear-tagging procedures; and whether it will improve traceability.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Independent epidemiological modelling has identified that the introduction of electronic identification (EID) and individual recording could reduce costs of managing an outbreak of exotic disease over the current UK system by up to 13 per cent, as a result of fewer infected premises and fewer animals being culled. It will also improve our ability to track individual animal movements.
	The direct financial benefits to the UK of implementing EID in accordance with EU law is a reduced risk of single farm payment disallowance and of EU infraction proceedings.
	There will also be management benefits for those farmers who want to make use of EID and gather individual performance data to make their businesses more profitable. This could benefit such things as flock health status, lambing ratios, carcase quality, weight, milk yield et cetera.

Aviation: Baggage

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place regarding United Kingdom airlines losing baggage; and whether such airlines are required to pay compensation for such lost baggage.

Lord Adonis: Passenger rights in respect of the loss, damage or delay to baggage are protected in the UK by the 1999 Montreal Convention, which came into force for the UK in June 2004.
	The carrier is prima facie liable for luggage that has been delayed, damaged or lost, unless it can establish a defence under the convention. The liability for delay, loss or damage to baggage is limited to 1,000 special drawing rights (SDRs)—approximately £820. These are maximum limits. Claims are assessed individually.

Aviation: Passengers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department has responsibility for airline passengers and their baggage; how many officials work on the subject; and in what units.

Lord Adonis: The department with responsibility for civil aviation policy matters is the Department for Transport.
	An air passenger's contract is with the airline, not with HMG. Compensation for baggage which gets lost or damaged is the responsibility of the airline, under the Montreal Convention 1999. Air passengers can complain to the industry complaints body, the Air Transport Users Council (the AUC), if issues cannot be satisfactorily resolved between the passenger and the airline. Occasionally baggage issues are raised in ministerial correspondence and drafts are prepared by departmental officials; there are no officials who work exclusively on baggage.
	More widely, the Department for Transport is actively looking into how the overall experience of air passengers may be improved. This includes passenger survey work commissioned from the CAA and the department's review of the economic regulatory regime at airports.

Bailiffs

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether non-certificated bailiffs are permitted to be involved in the enforcement of magistrates' courts fines; if so, whether they intend this to continue; and how many non-certificated bailiffs are so involved.

Lord Bach: Her Majesty's Courts Service magistrates' courts warrants are executed by civilian enforcement officers and by private bailiffs through contracts between Her Majesty's Courts Service and private enforcement companies.
	Civilian enforcement officers are directly employed by Her Majesty's Courts Service and are not required to be certificated. Civilian enforcement officers are bound by contracts of employment with Her Majesty's Courts Service and must adhere to any requirements that the contract refers. Newly appointed civilian enforcement officers undergo strict departmental vetting procedures and must successfully complete probation and training periods before they are considered to have met the standards required to execute warrants on behalf of magistrates' courts.
	Bailiffs employed by private bailiff companies which are contracted to Her Majesty's Courts Service to undertake the execution of warrants are not legally required to be certificated in order to carry out this type of work. However Her Majesty's Courts Service believes the certification process provides an increased assurance that staff working on these contracts are of sufficient quality and standing to carry out an important public function. The contracts stipulate that bailiffs employed by private bailiff companies which undertake work on behalf of Her Majesty's Court Service must be certificated.
	It is recognised that the induction, training and certification process can be onerous and lengthy; therefore Her Majesty's Courts Service allows a six-month period in which certification must be achieved. The companies are required to report on progress of this certification process in their monthly management reports to Her Majesty's Courts Service contract managers.

Bloody Sunday: Inquiry

Baroness Wilcox: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Bloody Sunday inquiry to conclude.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Lord Saville wrote to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 4 November 2008, stating that he now expects to deliver the report of the inquiry in autumn 2009.

Burma

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their reaction to reports from the Karen Women's Organisation regarding malnutrition experienced by children in the Ei Thu Ta camp for displaced people in Karen State, Burma, as a result of lack of funding for food rations; and how they will support international humanitarian agencies seeking to alleviate these problems.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) recognises that child malnutrition among internally displaced people in Burma is a significant concern.
	In 2008-09 DfID has contributed £1 million to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), which provides food rations to displaced people in Karen state as well as to Burmese refugees in Thailand. This funding represented a 30 per cent increase over our contribution in 2007-08.
	In December 2008 TBBC submitted to DfID, through Christian Aid, a funding proposal covering three years from April 2009 to March 2012. DfID is considering this proposal in consultation with Christian Aid, other donors to TBBC and TBBC itself. The head of DfID's office in Burma discussed funding needs with TBBC's executive director on 19 January.

Climate Change

Lord Lawson of Blaby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 14 January (WA 143—44), which recent material published in peer-reviewed academic journals they are referring to.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The recent developments in climate science and in the analysis of potential impacts referred to in the First Report of the Committee on Climate Change that have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals are referenced in chapter 1 of the committee's report. Since the Committee on Climate Change is an independent body, specific queries on its report should be addressed directly to the committee.

Climate Change: Emissions

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 26 November 2008 (WA 297—98), whether the statement that large electricity producers are able to "pass the costs of carbon to consumers in the form of higher electricity prices" and have received fewer European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Allowances is due to such producers requiring further incentives to adopt renewable energy schemes.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The current financial incentive mechanism for renewables, the renewables obligation, is not relevant to the distribution of allowances in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
	Large electricity producers (LEPs) have received fewer EU ETS allowances in phase II of the system for three main reasons: first, because the power sector has faced the effort required under the cap; secondly, the LEPs have to contribute to allowances in the new entrant reserve (NER); and thirdly, the allowances available for auctioning in phase II have been taken from those previously allocated for free to the power sector. From 2013 there will be 100 per cent auctioning to the power sector in the UK, which will remove the issue of windfall profits as a result of passing through costs to consumers.
	Passing on the cost of EU allowances is a rational response from firms and it is also a desired response from the point of view of the effectiveness of the EU ETS.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 12 January (WA 89—90), whether they will give notice to the European Union that if amendments to the Common Agricultural Policy in line with United Kingdom policy are not agreed by 2011 this will be against the United Kingdom's vital agricultural interests; and whether they would seek to repatriate agricultural policy.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: TheGovernment published AVision for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2005 setting out a blueprint for the future, envisaging the abolition of pillar 1 of the CAP by 2015-20. The vision also said that remaining expenditure would be based on pillar 2, and that rural development measures, including those targeted on protection and enhancement of the rural environment, would have a central rather than a peripheral role under a future CAP.
	The UK believes there is a growing recognition that the CAP in its current form does not help equip the EU for the 21st century, and we will work with the European Commission and other member states to build support for genuinely fundamental, strategic and ambitious reform. There are a number of opportunities for doing so over the coming years, not least the current review of the EU budget.

Crime: Drug Interventions Programmes

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reduction in crime has been achieved by the participation of offenders in the drug interventions programmes in the community.

Lord Bach: Recent international reviews analysing large numbers of evaluations of drug treatment programmes have concluded that, on average, drug treatment programmes reduce reoffending1. Drug interventions shown to be effective included: methadone treatment, heroin treatment, therapeutic communities, psycho-social approaches and drug courts. The most effective interventions to reduce drug-related crime seemed to be therapeutic communities, psychosocial approaches and drug courts.
	For offences committed on or after 4 April 2005, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduced the community order, which replaced all previous community sentences, including community rehabilitation orders (CROs) and drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs), for adult offenders. Under the Act, the court may impose a community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR). No robust assessment has been made to date of DRRs' effect on reducing reoffending, however research2 concluded that DTTOs can reduce spending on drugs and reoffending, although it was not possible to determine to what extent these changes were due to the DTTO or whether other factors also contributed.
	A community-based research study, NTORS (National Treatment Outcome Research Study), showed that, for every additional £l spent on drug treatment, there was a return of at least £9.50 in the cost savings associated with victim costs of crime and reduced demands being made on the CJS3.
	Similarly, research into a cohort of individuals entering the drug interventions programme (DIP) in the community found that offending levels were around 26 per cent lower in the six months following identification by DIP through a positive drug test in the custody suite4.
	1 Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2006). Evidence-Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works and What Does Not—Washington State Institute for Public Policy. [Available online at: www.wsipp.wa.gov]
	Holloway, K., Bennett, T. and Farrington, D. (2005). The effectiveness of criminal justice and treatment programmes in reducing drug-related crime: a systematic review. Home Office Online Report 26/05. London: Home Office.
	2 Hough, M., Clancy, A., McSweeney, T. and Turnbull, P. (2003). The impact of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders on Offending: two year reconviction results. Home Office Research Findings 184. London: Home Office.
	Turnbull, P., McSweeney, T., Webster, R., Edmunds., M and Hough, M (2000) Drug treatment and testing orders: Final Evaluation Report. Home Office Research Study 212. London: Home Office.
	3 Godfrey C., Stewart D, Gossop, M. (2004) Economic analysis of costs and consequences of the treatment of drug misuse: two year outcome data from the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS). Addiction 2004; 99 (6) 697-707.
	4 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/horr02c.pdf

Crime: Drug Interventions Programmes

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reduction in crime has been achieved by the participation of prisoners in the drug interventions programmes in prisons.

Lord Bach: Recent international systematic reviews analysing large numbers of evaluations of drug treatment programmes have concluded that, on average, drug treatment programmes reduce reoffending1. Drug interventions shown to be effective included: methadone treatment, heroin treatment, therapeutic communities, psycho-social approaches and drug courts. The most effective interventions to reduce drug-related crime seemed to be therapeutic communities, psycho-social approaches and drug courts.
	The evaluations to date of drug treatment programmes in prisons in the UK are limited but suggest that these programmes can reduce reoffending2. For example, prisoners who completed the 12-step RAN programme had statistically significantly lower rates of reconviction after two years than a comparison group (40 per cent versus 50 per cent)—although there may be selection bias3 here; for example, motivation to participate.
	The best available measure of drug prevalence in prisons is the random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) programme, which routinely tests prisoners chosen at random for a panel of drugs. The rMDT positives level shows drug use in custody declining since 1996-97, down from 24.4 per cent to 9.1 per cent in 2007-084. For a number of reasons, MDT results cannot be a complete measure of the prevalence of drugs misuse in prisons. However, MDT results do provide a reliable and statistically valid way of measuring patterns and trends of drug-misuse5.
	1 Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2006). Evidence-Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works and What Does Not—Washington State Institute for Public Policy. [Available online at: www.wsipp.wa.gov]
	Holloway, K., Bennett, T. and Farrington, D. (2005). The effectiveness of criminal justice and treatment programmes in reducing drug-related crime: a systematic review. Home Office Online Report 26/05. London: Home Office.
	2 Ramsay, M. led) (2003). Prisoners' Drug Use and Treatment: Seven Research Studies. Home Office Research Study 267. London: Home Office.
	Martin, C. and Player, E. (2000). Drug Treatment in Prison: An Evaluation of the RAPt Treatment Programme. Winchester: Waterside Press.
	3 Selection bias is a distortion of evidence or data that arises from the way that the data are collected.
	4 NOMS Interventions and Substance Misuse Group
	5 Office for National Statistics—2005—The impact and effectiveness of mandatory drug testing in prisons, Nicola Singleton, Elizabeth Pendry, Tracy Simpson, Eileen Goddard, Michael Farrell, John Marsden and Colin Taylor
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/r223_pdf

Crime: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Serious Organised Crime Agency has a policy of not investigating crimes in the South Armagh area.

Lord West of Spithead: No. SOCA has a UK-wide remit and engages closely with operational partners in Northern Ireland through the UK Serious Organised Crime Control Strategy and the Organised Crime Taskforce (OCTF).
	Pages 18 to 19 of the 2008-09 annual plan make specific reference to the exercise of functions in Northern Ireland.

Crime: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was meant by the Serious Organised Crime Agency's deputy director saying to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that the agency had put a halt to some civil recovery proceedings in Northern Ireland; and whether he was representing government policy.

Lord West of Spithead: Civil recovery proceedings are discontinued by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, in accordance with legislation and operational policy, only in cases where it is no longer possible or appropriate to continue civil recovery action. The published transcript of SOCA's evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee does not make reference to SOCA having terminated civil proceedings in Northern Ireland.

Crime: Offender Behaviour Programmes

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reduction in crime has been achieved by the participation of offenders in offender behaviour programmes in the community.

Lord Bach: Reoffending is measured as a rate1, rather than in terms of numbers of offences or offenders.
	There is considerable evidence, originating mainly from North America, to support the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural programmes in reducing reoffending (McGuire, 2002; Pearson et al, 2002; Lipton et al, 1998, Wilson et al, 2005).
	There are positive indications that offender behaviour programmes may be effective in reducing reoffending for offenders in the community. For example, Offender Management and Sentencing Analytical Services (OMSAS) conducted an analysis on accredited programmes in the community (Hollis, 2007). It compared actual reoffending rates in 2006 with rates predicted on the basis of 2004 data. The reoffending rate for all offenders who had undertaken interventions was 55 per cent, based on a two-year reconviction rate. Programme completers did statistically significantly better than those who did not start or who dropped out of programmes. The rates were 38 per cent, 61 per cent and 64 per cent respectively. This analysis of management information, however, cannot determine whether these differences result from programme impact.
	1 The rate is the proportion of offenders who reoffend at least once during the one-year follow-up period. For adults, this offence must result in a conviction at court to be included as a further offence. This yes/no reoffending rate is presented as a percentage of the total number of offenders in the cohort.

Crime: Offender Behaviour Programmes

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reduction in crime has been achieved by the participation of prisoners in offender behaviour programmes in prisons.

Lord Bach: Reoffending is measured as a rate1, rather than in terms of numbers of offences or offenders.
	There is considerable international evidence (Wilson et al, 2005; Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2006), to support the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural programmes in reducing reoffending. However, UK research examining the effectiveness of programmes in prisons has produced mixed results (Friendship et al, 2002; Falshaw et al, 2003; Cann et al, 2003).
	A recent prison-based study showed that the one-year reconviction rate for both adult men and young offenders who had completed enhanced thinking skills (ETS) and reasoning and rehabilitation (R&R) interventions in prison represented a positive 2.5 percentage points difference in reconviction for adult male completers (17.0 per cent vs. 19.5 per cent) and a 4.1 percentage point difference for young offender completers (31.4 per cent vs. 35.5 per cent) compared to matched comparison groups. There was no difference in reconviction rates between programme starters and comparison groups. See tables 3 and 4 at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r226.pdf.
	A study of female participants of ETS and R&R (Cann, 2006) found no statistically significant differences in one- and two-year rates between offenders and a matched comparison group. See www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/r276.pdf.
	The most robust evaluation of the sex offender treatment programme (SOTP) in England and Wales (Friendship et al, 2003) examined the impact of the prison-based programme. This compared two-year reconviction rates for prisoners who participated in the programme with those who did not. Findings indicated that the SOTP had an impact on reconvictions for sexual and/or violent offences (as a combined measure).
	1The rate is the proportion of offenders who reoffend at least once during the one-year follow-up period. For adults, this offence must result in a conviction at court to be included as a further offence. This yes/no reoffending rate is presented as a percentage of the total number of offenders in the cohort.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 April 2008 (WA 232—36), 12 January 2009 (WA 95—97) and 20 January (WA 196—97), whether consultation of one research paper represents a broad range of available evidence in support of the authority's decision to permit culture of outgrowing human embryos beyond 14 days.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 September 2008 (WA 352—54), 12 January 2009 (WA 95—97) and 20 January (WA 196—97), whether the evidence presented to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority by Professor Trounson in support of his view regarding outgrowing embryos in culture beyond 14 days represents a broad range of available evidence.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 September 2008 (WA 352—54), 12 January 2009 (WA 95—97) and 20 January (WA 196—97), whether consideration was given by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority or the Department of Health to descriptions of the debate on Professor Trounson's view in an October 2002 report from the Australian Senate before evaluating his view.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 September 2008 (WA 352—54), 12 January 2009 (WA 95—96) and 20 January (WA 196—97), to what extent the broad range of available evidence considered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was based on commentary provided by a member of the Authority whose compliance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 was then in question; and what prior evaluation was made of potential conflicts of interest.

Lord Darzi of Denham: On the matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) assessment of available evidence, in compliance with its statutory functions, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 20 January 2009 (WA 197). The HFEA informs me that with regard to Professor Alan Trounson, it has not considered the report of the Australian Senate. The views of Professor Trounson were sought by the HFEA because he is widely considered to be an expert in the field of embryonic stem cells.
	HFEA members, including co-opted members of HFEA committees, are routinely asked to declare any interests regarding agenda items at the beginning of every committee meeting. The advice and views of all committee members are equally taken into account before the authority makes decisions. This is reflected in the minutes of committee meetings.

Flooding

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency has archived all the data relating to extreme floods from before 2000 to the present day; and whether the retrieval system allows for cross-relating information by location, flood type and flood source.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Environment Agency's national flood and coastal database holds records of extreme flooding from rivers and sea since 2000 but also has information which dates further back.
	For each location recorded on the database, historic flood information and the source of the flood are available. The database does not hold information on groundwater and surface water flooding.

Health: Continuing Care

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 28 October 2008 (WA 154), whether, following the introduction of the National Framework for Continuing Care in October 2007, primary care trusts have completed the reassessment of eligibility for continuing care; and, if so, when the new criteria and resulting table of eligibilities will be published.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department published The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS funded Nursing Care in June 2007. This document details the new criteria to be used by primary care trusts in assessing eligibility for continuing care. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	If the National Health Service is providing any part of a patient's care, a case review should be undertaken to reassess care needs and eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare no later than three months following the initial assessment, and then as a minimum standard on an annual basis. There is also the right to request a review if an individual, or their representative, considers that the wrong decision has been made.

Health: Epilepsy

Earl Howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will engage with local NHS commissioners to ensure that there is an adequate provision of services for people with epilepsy in all primary care trusts and acute trusts in England.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to address the findings in the recent report by Epilepsy Action, Epilepsy in England: a time for change, that despite National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines stating that all people with suspected epilepsy should be seen by an epilepsy specialist within two weeks, over 90 per cent of trusts in England have waiting times of longer than two weeks, and almost half of acute trusts in England do not currently employ an epilepsy specialist.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to address the findings in the recent report by Epilepsy Action, Epilepsy in England: a time for change, that despite National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines stating that epilepsy specialist nurses should be an integral part of the medical team providing care to people with epilepsy, 60 per cent of acute trusts and 64 per cent of primary care trusts in England do not employ one.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions is the key tool for delivering the Government's strategy to support and to reduce health inequalities among people who live with long-term neurological conditions, including epilepsy.
	It is the responsibility of local health commissioners to ensure that they commission local services to meet the needs of their population. This includes ensuring that all relevant guidelines, including those issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), can be implemented where deemed appropriate.
	NICE guidelines have the status of clinical guidelines for health professionals. It is the responsibility of health professionals to use their clinical judgment, in consultation with individual patients, to decide on the most appropriate treatment options, taking into account all relevant guidelines.

Health: Mixed-sex Wards

Lord Hanningfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many mixed-sex wards there are in National Health Service hospitals in (a) Essex, and (b) each of the other counties in the eastern region.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Information about the number of mixed-sex wards is not collected centrally. Our guidance to the National Health Service has always required single-sex accommodation rather than single-sex wards. Even within a mixed ward, good single-sex accommodation can be achieved by using single rooms or single-sex bays and toilet facilities.
	The Healthcare Commission's annual national in-patient survey* does, however, provide trust-specific data about patients reporting on aspects of mixed-sex accommodation.
	The department continues to engage strategic health authorities about their plans to deliver a reduction in mixed-sex accommodation and the East of England Strategic Health Authority is able to provide more detail about its plans to deliver improvements in both Essex and other counties in the eastern region.
	On 28 January 2009 the department announced a six month programme to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation. This includes a £100 million privacy and dignity fund to support local improvements and tough financial penalties from 2010-11 for those trusts that do not deliver.
	* Source: Healthcare Commission National In-patient Survey, published May 2008.

Health: Research

Lord Jenkin of Roding: To ask Her Majesty's Government which department is accountable to Parliament for the activities of the various bodies responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Cooksey report on improving the translation of medical research into improved services for patients.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council are together taking forward the improvements in translational research prompted by Sir David Cooksey's review of United Kingdom health research funding. Accountability to Parliament for this work rests, therefore, with the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Long Service Medals

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government why long service medals are awarded by the police service after 22 years and the fire, ambulance and prison services after 20 years; and what steps are being taken to bring parity to the awards between the services.

Lord West of Spithead: The 22-year qualification criteria for the police long-service and good conduct medal was decided after lengthy consultation with police partners and was introduced prior to the other UK civilian emergency service medals.
	The issue of reducing the qualifying period is the subject of an ongoing review, and the Home Office will lead a consultation exercise.

Moles

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government in the light of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, what steps they are taking to ensure that line catch and spring operated mole traps are inspected at least once every 24 hours.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Whilst there is no specific time period for checking mole traps, it is good practice to check them frequently enough to ensure that they do not cause any unnecessary suffering. Failing to do this may leave the operator open to prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. However, only a court would be able to make a final decision as to whether an offence of causing unnecessary suffering had been committed, based on the individual circumstances of the case.
	Guidance on the control of moles is available from Natural England, which includes guidance on the use of traps.

Morse Code

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission research into the use of Morse code in helping people to communicate after they have lost the ability to speak and write as a result of severe paralysis.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department funds National Health Service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The institute's research programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS. Details, including the scope of the programmes and the arrangements for making applications for support from them, are available on the NIHR website at www.nihr.ac.uk. Funding awards are in all cases made after open, competitive peer review.

NHS: Prescriptions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to offer free prescriptions to all with a long-term medical condition.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of offering free prescriptions to all with a long-term medical condition.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The president of the Royal College of Physicians, Professor Ian Gilmore, is carrying out a review of prescription charges that is considering how to implement the commitment to exempt patients with long-term conditions from prescription charges. The review will take into account the views of patients, the public, patient representative bodies, clinicians and healthcare organisations and is due to make its recommendations to departmental Ministers in summer 2009. The options put forward by the review will be financially assessed and an impact assessment will be carried out prior to implementation.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to reduce the number of officials in the Northern Ireland Office; and over what period of time.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There are no targets for reducing staff numbers. The department's administration budget has been cut by 5 per cent year on year from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Administrative budgets have been set in line with these reductions and the necessary savings will be found in a variety of ways.

Northern Ireland Office: Travel

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid by the Northern Ireland Office in each of the past five financial years to officials of the Northern Ireland Office for travel to Great Britain.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The isolation of travel costs for journeys to Great Britain would involve a manual investigation of payments, which could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.
	The department advises that staff should ensure that any business-related journeys are a necessity and that all alternative methods of carrying out the tasks to be performed are investigated; for example, use of video-conferencing equipment to reduce the need to travel to meetings. The Northern Ireland Office has offices in both Belfast and London and, due to the nature of the work it carries out, travel to Great Britain by its staff is sometimes unavoidable. Where this is the case, the most cost-effective means of travelling is sought.

Parking

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the fixed daily parking charging regime operating in Newcastle has all the requisite authorisations from the Secretary of State; and, if so, how that relates the original authorisation referring specifically to a traffic regulation order which was revoked in its entirety in 2001; and, if not, what measures they propose to regularise the matter.

Lord Adonis: Following requests from Newcastle City Council, the Department for Transport has authorised a series of signs for the fixed daily parking charging scheme in Newcastle. It is the local highway authority's responsibility to ensure that its parking regimes, including any related traffic orders and signs, are kept up-to-date.

Prisons

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the instructions contained in Prison Service Instruction 50/2008 of 6 January 2009 on "acceptable activities in prisons" are intended to be carried out in accordance with the principle of proportionality.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what weight governors are required to give to the public acceptability test and how the activity will be perceived if open to media scrutiny when carrying out the mandatory instructions contained in Prison Service Instruction 50/2008 of 6 January 2009 on "acceptable activities in prisons" in deciding whether a particular arts activity should be approved.

Lord Bach: Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 50/2008 "Acceptable Activities in Prisons" makes clear that prison governors and equivalents in contracted prisons are responsible for all activities that take place in their respective establishments and gives them a framework to make appropriate decisions. The PSI includes mandatory instructions that will lead to consistent standards that safeguard the reputation of the service by requiring greater scrutiny from senior managers.
	The Government recognise the contribution that creative activities can make, particularly for prisoners who find it difficult to engage in more academic or conventional programmes. We are committed to working with third sector organisations to provide a range of services in prisons, including those who provide arts and creative programmes.
	However, prisons are places which are, rightly, under intense public scrutiny. It is essential that the National Offender Management Service is able to justify all aspects of prison life to the public. Before making a decision about whether a particular activity should be approved to go ahead, governors must consider both how an activity is likely to be perceived by the public and by victims and whether it meets the Prison Service objectives effectively, regardless of whether the event was made know to the public by the media. They must take appropriate and proportionate account of both public acceptability and effectiveness.

Scrap Metal

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unregistered or unlicensed scrap metal dealers are operating in England and Wales.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating operations that store or treat waste, including scrap metal, for recovery or disposal, either under an environmental permit or a registered exemption.
	From April to December 2008, the Environment Agency was aware of nearly 300 sites dealing in scrap metal or end-of-life vehicles that did not have the appropriate permit or registered exemption. Environment Agency intervention has to date stopped illegal activity at nearly 100 of those sites.
	The Environment Agency is working in partnership with the Association of Chief Police Officers, local authorities and trade associations to tackle this problem.
	Scrap metal dealers are also required to register with the local authority in the area in which they operate under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964.

Scrap Metal

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the regulation of the scrap metal industry with a view to reducing metal theft.

Lord West of Spithead: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has recently reviewed existing legislation with regards to combating metal theft. The recommendations that emanate from this review will be considered with other government departments and stakeholders.
	A regional pilot for a national metal theft crime unit was announced by the Home Office and ACPO on 9 January. This pilot will entail the British Transport Police working with local police forces and relevant government departments and agencies which have a regulatory or enforcement role in respect of scrap metal dealers. Efforts will be co-ordinated to ensure that existing regulations are properly applied to ensure that scrap metal dealers in the area are operating lawfully.

Shipping: Ferry Operators

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 21 January (WA 212), (a) how many of the lorries checked at Dalar Hir (near Holyhead) were arriving or departing by the ferry service; and (b) in which countries those vehicles were registered.

Lord Adonis: The Vehicle And Operator Services Agency (VOSA) are unable to differentiate which vehicles were arriving or departing from the ferry service at the check site at Dalar Har. VOSA's inspections and prohibitions figures for Dalar Har are as follows:
	
		
			 Country Vehicles Inspected Prohibitions 
			 Austria 16 5 
			 Belgium 10 6 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 0 
			 Bulgaria 13 6 
			 Croatia 3 2 
			 Czech Republic 16 9 
			 Denmark 18 11 
			 Eire 1,244 688 
			 France 5 1 
			 Germany 55 25 
			 Great Britain 312 135 
			 Hungary 24 10 
			 Iceland 1 0 
			 Italy 12 10 
			 Jersey 2 0 
			 Latvia 15 5 
			 Lithuania 24 5 
			 Luxembourg 4 1 
			 The Netherlands 86 36 
			 Northern Ireland 229 136 
			 Poland 129 51 
			 Romania 11 10 
			 Slovakia 9 2 
			 Slovenia 8 3 
			 Spain 18 6 
			 Switzerland 2 2 
			 Turkey 3 2 
			 Grand Total 2,270 1,167 
		
	
	Figures are from April to December 2008.

Zimbabwe: Cholera

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe; how many deaths have occurred due to the epidemic; to what extent the epidemic has affected neighbouring countries; and whether medical intervention and support from the United Kingdom has been possible.

Lord Tunnicliffe: This is the worst cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe's history. It is a clear indication of the degradation of water, sanitation and health services under the failed and destructive policies of the Mugabe regime. The whole country has been affected and the outbreak is not yet fully under control and statistics change daily—as of 21 January, 48,623 people had been affected, with 2,755 deaths. South Africa has seen almost 3,000 cases reported and 32 deaths, the majority of them attributable to the Zimbabwe outbreak. In other neighbouring countries there have been a handful of cases linked to Zimbabwe.
	The international community is working hard to bring the outbreak under control, against a backdrop of country-wide collapsing health systems and the failure of the regime to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The Department for International Development (DfID) has made £10 million available to support essential medical services, to provide cholera response kits and to make clean drinking water available in affected areas. We have also been actively engaged in supporting a World Health Organisation-led command-and-control centre to coordinate the international cholera response.